How to Automate LinkedIn Outreach: A Step-by-Step Guide
LinkedIn is one of the best platforms for prospecting. You can use filters to find leads who match your ideal customer profiles (ICP), send direct messages through InMail, and engage with leads through posts or comments.
But prospecting and outreach take time. Sales reps must research their prospects, determine how to provide value, and create copy for invitation messages. Then, reps need to repeat this dozens of times daily.
The good news is that you can automate prospecting and outreach. More importantly, you can scale LinkedIn outreach without breaking bank. We’re here to show you how.
Can You Do LinkedIn Outreach for Free?
Short answer?—Yes! The only caveat is that free LinkedIn automation is limited. Several tools follow the freemium model. You get to try their tool for free but with limited features.
Most of the time, you’re stuck with a browser extension that can export a couple of leads per day. If you want free options, your best bet is to try a LinkedIn automation tool like Botdog with a free trial and complete features.
Do You Need a Paid LinkedIn Account For Outreach Automation?
Another factor to consider is your LinkedIn account. LinkedIn Premium and Sales Navigator accounts have features that aren’t available with free accounts.
Paid accounts offer up to 3x more connection requests, advanced search filters, and access to InMail (you can message accounts directly without a connection).
You can still use LinkedIn outreach automation tools with a free account. However, sending volume will be limited; you might not find leads who match your exact ICP, and you won’t be able to scale.
Automated LinkedIn Outreach: A Step-by-Step Guide
Automated LinkedIn outreach saves you hours and lets you focus on dollar-productive tasks. It’s efficient, scalable, and, when done right—still feels personal. Here’s how to get started.
Step 1: Find the Right LinkedIn Outreach Automation Tool
Before committing to an automation tool, consider your needs. Some tools are bloated with features you might not use. What’s important is choosing a tool that doesn’t risk your account.
Automation tools should follow LinkedIn’s guidelines. Choose a tool that mimics human behavior, like personalizing messaging, delays between actions, or sending requests at random.
Consider the cost in the short and long term. Find a tool that can scale campaigns as you grow.
Step 2: Build Your ICP and Buyer Personas
Outreach automation won’t give you results without focusing on the right prospects. It’s about providing value to the right people. Spray-and-pray methods won’t work on LinkedIn.
Once you’ve built your ICPs and buyer personas, you can zero in on prospects who need the solutions you’re selling. The more relevant you are to the leads, the better the result.
Step 3: Launch Your Automated Outreach Campaign
The steps to launching an automated campaign depend on the automation tool you have. For this example, we’ll be using Botdog. You can make a free account and follow along!
Automated LinkedIn Outreach With Botdog
Botdog lets you run LinkedIn outreach campaigns on autopilot. It’s like having a virtual assistant that automates everything from prospecting to sending invites.
With Botdog, you have several prospecting options. You can import leads directly from LinkedIn searches, organize live events, or upload an email list to start outreach immediately.
In this example, let’s assume we don’t have any leads yet and are just starting. Here’s how Botdog streamlines the outreach process for you.
Step 1: Click on LinkedIn Search to find leads that match your ICP using filters.
Botdog will give you ideas for getting started, or you can copy the search URL with the filters already in place.
Step 2: Import search results
You could get thousands of results depending on your search filter parameters. But as a rule of thumb, the more you zero in on your ICP, the better the results.
We recommend importing 1,000 or 2,500 leads daily if you’re on a Sales Navigator account for account safety.
Step 3: Personalization
Personalization is key to outreach. Botdog lets you personalize the first and Last names of all leads in your list. To go even further, run outreach campaigns for specific segments.
CEOs might resonate better with messages focusing on big-picture benefits such as ROI, cost reduction, and long-term growth. Operations heads could respond better to messages highlighting features, efficiency, or A/B comparisons with similar solutions.
After crafting your message, you can set up follow-up automation intervals after your request is accepted. However, you don’t want to follow up immediately. It’s LinkedIn do’s and don’ts 101.
Step 5: Monitor Campaigns, A/B Test, and Iterate on Winning Strategies
With Botdog, you can reach out to thousands of leads per week on autopilot. But don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Try out different variations of your invitation message.
Make changes to your unique selling proposition, follow-up intervals, and personalization. Then, A/B test them to find the strategies that improve reply rates most.
To see your campaigns' performance, head to Botdog’s History tabs to see your stats. You can see key performance indicators (KPIs), like, the total number of invites sent, invites accepted, and conversion rates.
Key Takeaways
LinkedIn outreach takes time, especially prospecting and manually writing personalized invitation messages. LinkedIn outreach automation tools like Botdog streamline the process, saving you hours. To recap, here’s how you to automate LinkedIn outreach:
- Find a LinkedIn automation tool that lets you automate safely and sustainably
- Create your ICP to zero in on leads that get the most value from your solution
- Use your outreach tool for personalization and follow-up automation
- Monitor performance and KPIs
- A/B test campaigns and iterate on winning strategies
If you’re looking for the most cost-effective, easy-to-use, plug-and-play LinkedIn outreach automation tool, Botdog might just be for you. Try it out for free today!
